Marshall
“Buntie” Betty Gordon (nee: Sloan)
Buntie died peacefully at home in Campbell River on March 22, 2006. Buntie was born in Victoria on September 16th, 1919. Predeceased by her brother David, she is survived by her children David (Carol), and Nancy (William), her grandchildren Jonathan and Simon, and extended family Michael, Fay, Brendan, Christopher, Lisa (Aaron), Corey and Heather.
Buntie was born into a pioneering family. She was the daughter of the Honorable Gordon McGregor Sloan, Attorney General and later Chief Justice of the B.C. Court of Appeal. She was the granddaughter of the Honourable William Sloan, B.C. Minister of Mines, the great-granddaughter of the first white woman born in Nanaimo, and great-great-granddaughter of William McGregor, who immigrated to Vancouver Island in 1849.
While a law student, Buntie married Sherwood Barnett Marshall and traveled with him to Newfoundland during WW2. After their divorce in 1952, she became a social worker. Buntie went on to become the first female department head in Saanich as the Administrator of the Social Welfare Department. She was instrumental in the amalgamation of the lower Vancouver Island social service departments and agencies, worked with the Victoria Community Council and later became the Executive Coordinator for the Deputy Minister of Human Resources, a position she held until her retirement in 1985. After retirement she volunteered as a docent at the Royal BC Museum, Government House, the Comox Museum and the Campbell River Museum. She was a photographer, gardener and family historian.
She was independent, strong and outspoken. Buntie will long be remembered driving around BC in her beloved 1974 Porsche 914. She will be greatly missed by her family and her many friends.
At her request, there will be no formal funeral service. Instead, there will be a gathering of friends and family at her home in Campbell River on Saturday, April 8 between 2 and 5 PM, #3305, 27 South Island Highway.